If you have fond memories of Nonna’s wonderful homemade cookies and you want to recreate the special memories, this collection of Italian cookie recipes is just what you’ve been looking for. Balancing out sweet with savory, these Italian cookies are just as irresistible as what Nonna used to make, and the recipes are all fun and easy to make.
Baci di Dama Sandwich Cookies
These mini Italian chocolate filled sandwich cookies are made with chocolate and vanilla. One or two of these Italian cookies with chocolate in the middle will definitely put a smile on your face. The buttery vanilla cookies are sandwiched together with chocolate.
Get the Recipe: Baci di Dama Sandwich Cookies
Italian Pignoli Cookies
Italian pignoli cookies, also known as Amaretti con Pignoli, are perfect for Christmas. You might like to add these wonderful Italian almond and pine nut cookies to your easy gluten free baking list for the holidays.
Get the Recipe: Italian Pignoli Cookies
Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Easy red and green Christmas pinwheel cookies are sure to put a smile on your face this holiday season. These festive Italian Christmas swirl cookies might look like something from an Italian bakery but it isn’t hard to make them.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Italian Nutella Cookies
Nutellotti soft nutella cookies are a great Italian Christmas cookie idea. A tasty chocolate and vanilla flavoured cookie is topped with a sweet and creamy Nutella topping. Add this to your list of the best Italian Cookie Recipes.
Get the Recipe: Italian Nutella Cookies
Italian Fig Christmas Cookies
Boasting a crumbly dough encasing a sweet fig filling plus a yummy frosting on top, what more could you want from a cookie? The combination of flavors and textures in these fig cookies, also known as cucidati, makes them a wonderful choice.
Get the Recipe: Italian Fig Christmas Cookies
Italian Chocolate Roll Cookies
Although holiday baking is largely about the flavour of the delicious treats you make, how they look is also important. It isn’t necessarily hard to make such nice-looking cookies, and these chocolate roll cookies are easy even for beginners.
Get the Recipe: Italian Chocolate Roll Cookies
Italian Canestrelli Cookies
Canestrelli cookies are a little bit like shortbread but lighter, with more of a crunch, and a more in-depth flavour. These Christmas cookies are from Italy’s Liguria region, and are buttery tasting with delicious lemon fragrance evident in every bite.
Get the Recipe: Italian Canestrelli Cookies
Buccellati Biscotti X Fig Cookies
If you are a lover of figs, you need to try this recipe! These Italian style treats have quite a long list of steps and ingredients, but they are well worth making.
Get the Recipe: Buccellati Biscotti X Fig Cookies
Limoncello Italian Wedding Cookies
Also known as Russian tea cookies, Italian snowball cookies, anginetti, polvorones, Russian tea cakes, butterballs, and Mexican wedding cookies, Italian wedding cookies are a bite-sized sweet treat that always tastes best when homemade.
Get the Recipe: Limoncello Italian Wedding Cookies
Gingerbread Pizzelle
This gingerbread pizzelle recipe makes authentic Italian Christmas pizzelles. These holiday cookies have a crisp texture and delicious ginger snaps flavour. Aromatic cinnamon, ginger and cloves add a spicy touch to the pizzelle cookies, while molasses gives them a rich sweetness.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Pizzelle
Italian Chocolate Chestnut Tortelli Cookies
Italian chocolate chestnut tortelli cookies are delicious desserts and also perfect for Christmas cookie exchange recipes. The chestnut filling is really good, as are the dark chocolate and rum flavours. These cookies need to be on your list of favorite Italian Cookie Recipes.
Get the Recipe: Italian Chocolate Chestnut Tortelli Cookies
Chocolate Salami
A famous no bake treat all over Italy, Italian chocolate salami is a delicious combination of shortbread cookies, Amaretto liqueur and chocolate. It’s a delicious dessert which makes a nice edible Christmas gift. This chocolate log is made to resemble salami and it is known as salame di cioccolato in Italy.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Salami
Cranberry Orange Biscotti with White Chocolate Drizzle
Cranberry orange biscotti are always good but especially during the festive period when cranberries and warm citrus flavours come into their own. Biscotti are famed for being a dry cookie that you dip into hot drinks.
Get the Recipe: Cranberry Orange Biscotti with White Chocolate Drizzle
Holiday Butter Cookies
With just six simple ingredients, these holiday butter cookies are simple but taste absolutely delicious. They are soft, crumbly, and perfect for any occasion!
Get the Recipe: Holiday Butter Cookies
Tiramisu Cookies
These delicious, coffee-flavored tiramisu cookies are the perfect after-dinner treat, dessert table addition, or compliment to your morning cup of coffee. A delightful twist on the classic Italian dessert, this easy tiramisu cookie recipe combines espresso powder and sweet mascarpone frosting topped with cocoa powder.
Get the Recipe: Tiramisu Cookies
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Brighten up your world with a burst of citrusy bliss with these easy-to-make and delectably delicious Italian lemon ricotta cookies. With their soft melt-in-your-mouth texture and perfect balance of tangy to sweet, these lemon cookies are a true delight.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Soft Amaretti Cookies
Amaretti is a type of cookie of Italian origin prepared with almond flour, egg whites, and Amaretto liqueur. Dating back to the Middle Ages, the recipe also spread rapidly through the Arab countries and finally throughout Europe. They take their name because in old times only bitter almonds were used in their preparation. Amaro means bitter in Italian. These days, they’re sweet!
Get the Recipe: Soft Amaretti Cookies
Italian Ricotta Cookies
These Italian ricotta cookies are always popular. This recipe promises soft, tender and fluffy sprinkle cookies with a cake-like texture that melts in your mouth will have everyone asking which bakery they came from.
Get the Recipe: Italian Ricotta Cookies
Italian Wedding Cookies
Italian wedding cookies are delicious little, powdered sugar-coated, butter cookie bites with almonds. Also known as Italian butter balls, these cookies are sweet and tasty, offering a hint of vanilla too.
Get the Recipe: Italian Wedding Cookies
Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti
This recipe just might turn you into a biscotti lover. Sweetened with brown sugar, flavored with toasted almonds, and dipped in chocolate puts this crunchy biscotti at the top of everyone’s coffee pairing list.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti
Riscotti Anise Cookies
Not to be confused with biscotti, riscotti cookies are sweet, light little treats with colorful sprinkles on top. They’re perfect for a special occasion or simply because you want to try a new Italian cookies recipe. These are one of the best Italian Cookie Recipes!
Get the Recipe: Riscotti Anise Cookies
Glazed Cookies with Sprinkles
Italian Cookies with sprinkles are super soft, sweet and so simple to make! A simple pink glaze and bright sprinkles make these perfect for parties.
Get the Recipe: Glazed Cookies with Sprinkles
Cannoli with Ricotta Cheese Filling
Homemade cannoli are so easy to make and taste just as satisfying as one bought from an Italian bakery. The crispy shell and creamy, sweetened ricotta cheese filling are to die for and will make any day a little extra special!
Get the Recipe: Cannoli with Ricotta Cheese Filling
Italian Almond Cookies
Italian almond cookies are a perfect example of a basic looking cookie that tastes incredible. It’s the almond flour that gives these cookies so much texture, and that flavor is further fortified with almond extract.
Get the Recipe: Italian Almond Cookies
Amaretti Cookies
All Italian cookies are wonderful, but naturally gluten free amaretti cookies just have to be one of the best ever! They go amazingly with coffee or another drink, and are the perfect snack at the end of a long day.
Get the Recipe: Amaretti Cookies
Bella Bucchiotti of xoxoBella is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for recipes, dogs, sustainability, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
Bella Bucchiotti is a freelance food, travel, and lifestyle writer for MSN and the Associated Press Wire.
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